High Desert Gardening Archives – Page 8 of 29

Do-It-Yourself Maintenance Flowers Shrubs & Trees Gardening High Desert

Enjoying the Day

By JM PerezJune 9, 20192 min read793 views

It’s hot out here and there isn’t much to do, except walk around and enjoy the beautiful plants.

So what’s happening in my garden? A few day ago, I got rid of the perennial bulbs, all excluding the Allium Drumsticks which I really like. I pruned and shaped the Autumn Sage, Texas Sage, Lavender, Boxwood and the Dwarf Myrtle. We also completely removed and got rid of the second Navajo Globe Willow tree on our property. These trees are easy to grow from cuttings, but don’t thrive in the High Desert and are susceptible to diseases.

The Daylilies have started to bloom.

I planted a few Ornamental Grasses at the right corner of the end of my property along side some Spanish Lavender, Autumn Sage, Miniature Rose bushes and Agave Ovatifolia (which I recently transplanted).

The Pomegranate tree is blooming and producing fruits.

I have quite a few Yellow Bird Of Paradise Bush ll around my property which I constantly prune and shape. They are one of my favorite ornamental trees along with the Desert Willow.

Once in a blue moon we have some unfortunate events going on around the garden. Today we found a damage on the irrigation tubing caused by either a thirsty gopher or Ground Squirrel. These rodents have figured out where things are around here and the are becoming quite sneaky. These Agave Ovatifolia ‘Frosty Blue’ have all been dug out and relocated. The mature Agave was damage by a Gopher.

Happy gardening and have a wonderful day.

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By JM Perez

Memorial Day Flowers Shrubs & Trees Gardening High Desert

Peaceful Memorial Day

By JM PerezMay 27, 20191 min read479 views

What a week! Just when I thought that Nature was starting to warm up, the cold weather returned with some kind of fury. Still I am grateful. I was able to sort my thoughts and organize ideas for my next book (yes, it has been too long and I am working on it).

I had plans for the garden this weekend. I bought a set of 3 cobalt blue glazed ceramic planters that I was hoping to fill with plants; unfortunately, the strong winds and dust particles in the air are definitely harmful to my health. I will work on them during the next few days before the heat sets in by the weekend.

Hannah Gordon Rose and Little Pete Mini-multiflora Rose are actually Rose Trees and the oldest plants in my garden. Last year I honestly thought they had died and made plans for replacements. To my amazement, they came back fuller and stronger this Spring and I am grateful.

For many years I had these Snapdragon in pots and for all those years, they bloomed profusely and remained quite short. I finally removed them from the pots and planted straight to the ground, where thy have grown taller and seem to be healthier.

Wishing you all a wonderful Memorial Day with your loved ones.

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By JM Perez

Flowers Shrubs & Trees Gardening High Desert

Blooms of The Week

By JM PerezMay 3, 20191 min read675 views

I am loving these Spring to Summer flowering deciduous Azaleas, the Cannon’s Double Exbury Azalea shrubs; the latest addition to our plant family. With their delicate green foliage, cream, pink, apricot and yellow flowers; they have begun attracting bees and butterflies.

The amount of rain we received this year has done wonders to the plants. I pruned them last year and they have all returned healthier with strong growth on large canes. I used to have over fifteen rose bushes on my property; the ‘Blue Moon’ Hybrid Tea Rose is now the oldest rose bush and the only one I kept from eleven years ago. I love the large delicate double lavender-blue fragrant blossoms. There was a set and only one survived.

My lone California Poppy blooming …

Kordes Perfecta Rose is thriving too. She is the replacement of one of the ‘Blue Moon’ Hybrid Tea Rose lost a few years ago.

I can’t remember the name of the gorgeous hybrid rose tree below; its flowers however, keep on amazing me year after year.

One of the rose buds on the Cecile Brunner Climbing Rose formed with elongated sepals. At first, I thought it was a deformed bud, but it opened its petals just fine. Interesting …

*Cecile Brunner Climbing Rose (bud with elongated sepals).*

Snow has not completely melted on the mountains, giving us that beautiful view.

I am looking forward to the weekend, there is so much to do in the garden.

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By JM Perez

Ladybugs Flowers Shrubs & Trees Gardening High Desert

Beauties Awake in Spring

By JM PerezApril 18, 20192 min read706 views

The weather is warming up, awakening and encouraging the plants to thrive. This is the Spring I love. When everyone and everything comes alive. When the old suddenly becomes news, when what was lost is once again found and when beauty is given for ashes. I love all the seasons, but I love Spring best for new beginnings in the garden.

Last Spring I bought two climbing roses (Yellow Lady Banks Rose) and planted them at each end of the second set of arches by the front gate leading to the backyard. By now, the arches would have been fully covered, but as you can see, only the climbing rose facing the front yard has covered half of the arch. Late last Fall, my neighbor’s cat was strangely attracted to that climbing rose and continuously peed on it for weeks straight. Of course, I could see the tracks, but I didn’t know at the time since all my plants run on drip irrigation. One day I saw that the rose was wilting, so I increased the amount of water thinking it was due to the heat. The next day, the plant died and I could smell the cat urine around the plant and in the soil. I would have made them replace the plant, had the cat (who has caught several times on camera) not gone missing. Yes, cat urine will kill your plants.

I had to wait until early Spring, when climbing roses were available in nurseries to get a replacement. I bought a White Lady Banks climbing rose and given that these are fast growing roses, I am pretty sure the arch will be fully covered by the end of the year. The Lady Banks’ Roses are beautiful and being thornless, they make training and maintaining painless. Also, they are drought tolerant and disease resistant especially when provided with full sun exposure.

After getting rid of almost all my rose bushes years ago, I decided to buy one more last month to replace one of the Blue Moon Roses which died. This one if called Kordes Perfecta Rose and bloomed for the first time yesterday. It’s quite a beauty.

My Rose trees are always infested with Aphids during this time of year. As I was about to spray the rose tree in the backyard with liquid Sevin® Insect Killer a couple of days ago, I was delighted and grateful to see a colony of ladybug larvae at the base of the plant while the majority were making their way up. Knowing the solution would kill them too, I surrendered and allowed them to do their job. As of today the rose tree is almost insect free.

A Painted Lady Butterfly resting on the green leaves of a Golden Arborvitae.

Happy gardening and I hope everyone is having a great day.

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By JM Perez

Ladybugs Gardening High Desert

Planting & Transplanting

By JM PerezApril 16, 20191 min read513 views

I was pleasantly surprised this morning to find a Light Orange Tulip flower, the only flowering plant on the edge of a small flower bed with a variety of bulbs. So bright and beautiful.

Last Friday we went plant shopping at Lowe’s and purchased a few plants. I love Wisteria and it’s such a beautiful plant, but I am still skeptical about planting one in my yard because of the plant toxicity. I suppose time will tell …

*Chinese Wisteria, Calla Lily, Rose Marie Magnolia.*

I am growing a few cactuses in pots to transplant in the backyard by the dry creek bed along side a varieties of drought-tolerant ornamental grasses.

*Opuntia, Spring Cactus, Ruffled Red, Mardi Gras.*

I dug out the re-did the flower bed under the living room window to match the one under our bedroom since both face the street. I dug out the Lily of the Nile, split most, transplanted them in the backyard and watered heavily. I am sure they will thrive in their new location which is directly exposed to the sun. I had a bunch of Goodwin Creek Gray Lavender seedlings, which I transplanted into the flower bed.